Impact of late rainy season indoor residual spraying on holoendemic malaria transmission: a cohort study in northern Zambia.

Background: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a malaria control strategy implemented before the rainy season. Nchelenge District, Zambia is a holoendemic setting where IRS has been conducted since 2008 with little impact on malaria incidence or parasite prevalence. Pre-rainy season IRS may not reduce the post-rainy season peak abundance of the major vector, Anopheles funestus.

Evaluation of Anopheline Diversity and Abundance across Outdoor Collection Schemes Utilizing CDC Light Traps in Nchelenge District, Zambia.

In the global fight against malaria, standard vector control methods such as indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are intended to protect inside residential structures and sleeping spaces. However, these methods can still leave individuals vulnerable to residual transmission from vectors that they may be exposed to outdoors. Nchelenge District in northern Zambia experiences persistently high malaria transmission even with ITNs and IRS in place.

The first complete mitochondrional genome of using a skimming sequencing approach.

Mosquitoes belonging to the genus are the only vectors of human malaria. has been linked to malaria transmission in Kenya, with recent collections in Zambia reporting the mosquito species exhibiting zoophilic and exophilic behavioral patterns with occasional contact with humans. Given the paucity of genetic data, and challenges to identification and molecular taxonomy of the mosquitoes belonging to the genus; we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of using a genome skimming approach.

A metagenomic analysis of the phase 2 Anopheles gambiae 1000 genomes dataset reveals a wide diversity of cobionts associated with field collected mosquitoes.

The Anopheles gambiae 1000 Genomes (Ag1000G) Consortium previously utilized deep sequencing methods to catalogue genetic diversity across African An. gambiae populations. We analyzed the complete datasets of 1142 individually sequenced mosquitoes through Microsoft Premonition's Bayesian mixture model based (BMM) metagenomics pipeline.

The first genome sequence of from Macha, Zambia.

Despite efforts to minimize the impacts of malaria and reduce the number of primary vectors, malaria has yet to be eliminated in Zambia. Understudied vector species may perpetuate malaria transmission in pre-elimination settings. is one of the most abundantly caught mosquito species in southern Zambia and has previously been found with sporozoites, a causal agent of human malaria.

Policy Implications of the Southern and Central Africa International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research: Ten Years of Malaria Control Impact Assessments in Hypo-, Meso-, and Holoendemic Transmission Zones in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) were established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases more than a decade ago to provide multidisciplinary research support to malaria control programs worldwide, operating in endemic areas and contributing technology, expertise, and ultimately policy guidance for malaria control and elimination. The Southern and Central Africa ICEMR has conducted research across three main sites in Zambia and Zimbabwe that differ in ecology, entomology, transmission intensity, and control strategies. Scientific findings led to new policies and action by the national malaria control programs and their partners in the selection of methods, materials, timing, and locations of case management and vector control.

Scientific Findings of the Southern and Central Africa International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research: Ten Years of Malaria Control Impact Assessments in Hypo-, Meso-, and Holoendemic Transmission Zones in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For a decade, the Southern and Central Africa International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research has operated with local partners across study sites in Zambia and Zimbabwe that range from hypo- to holoendemic and vary ecologically and entomologically. The burden of malaria and the impact of control measures were assessed in longitudinal cohorts, cross-sectional surveys, passive and reactive case detection, and other observational designs that incorporated multidisciplinary scientific approaches: classical epidemiology, geospatial science, serosurveillance, parasite and mosquito genetics, and vector bionomics. Findings to date have helped elaborate the patterns and possible causes of sustained low-to-moderate transmission in southern Zambia and eastern Zimbabwe and recalcitrant high transmission and fatality in northern Zambia.

Expanded geographic distribution and host preference of Anopheles gibbinsi (Anopheles species 6) in northern Zambia.

Background: Nchelenge District in northern Zambia suffers from holoendemic malaria transmission despite a decade of yearly indoor residual spraying (IRS) and insecticide-treated net (ITN) distributions. One hypothesis for this lack of impact is that some vectors in the area may forage in the early evening or outdoors. Anopheles gibbinsi specimens were identified in early evening mosquito collections performed in this study area, and further insight was gleaned into this taxon, including characterizing its genetic identity, feeding preferences, and potential role as a malaria vector.

Understudied Anophelines Contribute to Malaria Transmission in a Low-Transmission Setting in the Choma District, Southern Province, Zambia.

Malaria transmission has declined substantially in Southern Province, Zambia, which is considered a low-transmission setting. The Zambian government introduced a reactive test-and-treat strategy to identify active zones of transmission and treat parasitemic residents. This study was conducted in the Choma District, Southern Province, Zambia, concurrently with an evaluation of this strategy to identify vectors responsible for sustaining transmission, and to identify entomological, spatial, and ecological risk factors associated with increased densities of mosquitoes.

Stability and detection of nucleic acid from viruses and hosts in controlled mosquito blood feeds.

Monitoring the presence and spread of pathogens in the environment is of critical importance. Rapid detection of infectious disease outbreaks and prediction of their spread can facilitate early responses of health agencies and reduce the severity of outbreaks. Current sampling methods are sorely limited by available personnel and throughput.

Will selenium increase lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) yield and seed quality?

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik), a nutritious traditional pulse crop, has been experiencing a declining area of production in South East Asia, due to lower yields, and marginal soils. The objective of this study was to determine whether selenium (Se) fertilization can increase lentil yield, productivity, and seed quality (both seed Se concentration and speciation). Selenium was provided to five lentil accessions as selenate or selenite by foliar or soil application at rates of 0, 10, 20, or 30 kg Se/ha and the resulting lentil biomass, grain yield, seed Se concentration, and Se speciation was determined.

Caregiver and nurse hopes for recovery of patients with acquired brain injury.

From the moment an adolescent with acquired brain injury (ABI) is admitted to the hospital, his or her caregiver develops hopes for the recovery and future of the patient; however, rehabilitation nurses have reported that these hopes are not always congruent with the nurse's observations of the adolescent's progression. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) explore the caregiver's hope for recovery of his or her family member who has experienced an ABI, (2) compare the nurse's hopes for the patient with ABI to those of the caregiver, and (3) identify what caregivers and nurses do to maintain hope for recovery during the rehabilitation process. This qualitative study validated that in some cases there was a disconnect between caregivers' and nurses' hopes for recovery.

Enhancing geriatric content in a baccalaureate nursing program.

As the United States population ages, it is important that nursing faculty adequately prepare undergraduate students to provide optimal nursing care for older adults. By 2030, estimates are that one in five Americans will be over the age of 65. Older adults often have complex health issues and use more health care resources than other age groups.

Caregiver characteristics predict stroke survivor quality of life at 4 months and 1 year.

Evaluating factors that reduce stroke survivors' (SS) health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is important for developing interventions to improve HRQOL after stroke. The influence of baseline caregiver and family characteristics (physical health, depressive symptoms, family communication) on five domains of SS HRQOL (physical function, memory/thinking, social activities, communication, and mood) was examined. Data were collected on 132 SS-caregiver dyads at baseline, 4 months, and 12 months.

The role of the nurse academician in promoting evidence-based practice in a brain injury rehabilitation unit.

There are many rehabilitation teams and rehabilitation consultants. The team presented here involved the unique collaboration of university nursing scholars and clinicians from a local rehabilitation hospital. The melding of these two groups is providing new opportunities for staff nurses, administrators, and faculty members to work together and use nursing research to provide the base of evidence necessary to enhance rehabilitation nursing knowledge in the brain injury setting.